1 . It keeps what’s inside a mystery until you open it. There are usually toys in mystery boxes; but now, food has been added to the list.
Recently, the trend of “leftover mystery boxes” has become popular in many Chinese cities such as Beijing, Nanjing and Chengdu. Stores pack boxes full of unsold food or food nearing its expiration date at low prices.
“We make the leftover mystery boxes available to buy at the end of the day,” Wu Tian, a staff member at a convenience chain store in Beijing, told China Daily. The food, such as milk, bread and sandwiches, is sold at about half the original price and is usually sold out quickly. Many bakeries have also joined the “mystery box club”.
Due to their low price, leftover mystery boxes “are very promising as a new business mode” and can attract more consumers, Hong Yong, an expert at the Ministry of Commerce, told China Daily. “In addition, they follow the concept of zero-waste and environmental protection.”
In 2021, the total amount of food waste in China reached 160 million tons, with an average of 93 grams per meal per person, China Food Newspaper reported. Since the passage of China’s Anti-Food Waste Law in April 2021, people’s awareness of food waste reduction has increased. Leftover mystery boxes can be an effective way for people to deal with food waste.
However, some people have raised food security concerns. If consumers buy a food mystery box for their breakfast the next morning, even if the food looks fine at the moment, it may have gone bad overnight. Moreover, food made in the store, such as bread, isn’t labeled with the production date in many cases, according to China Consumer News. If a consumer unpacks a mystery box and discovers that the food tastes bad or has already passed the last date, then it will be difficult for them to protect their rights, such as getting money back.
Only by considering both food safety and consumer rights can mystery blind boxes achieve a win-win situation for both buyers and sellers, commented China Youth Daily.
1. What leads to the rise of the trend of “leftover mystery boxes”?| A．It offers customers lower prices for those unsold food. |
| B．Stores make the leftover mystery boxes available at night. |
| C．People feel like such food as milk and bread more attractive. |
| D．It goes against the concept of zero-waste and environmental protection. |
| A．purchasing | B．producing | C．ending | D．selling |
| A．Worldwide starvation. | B．Environmental harm. | C．Energy shortage. | D．Moral decline. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Disapproving. | C．Doubtful. | D．Objective. |
2 . The latest housing trend in America has nothing to do with decoration, but rather the rise of intergenerational roommates. Described as separated by at least one generation, intergenerational roommate arrangements are growing in the United States, and intergenerational houses have increased four times since 1971.
Pick your explanation — growing isolation among the elderly, rising rents, average life-expectancy increasing, an aging population, or rising college tuition, the fact of the matter is that older folks have space available, and tend to be happy to have a young person around.
In March 2021, there were 59. 7 million U. S. residents who lived with multiple generations under one roof.
“It was perfect-Judith has become like my family,” said Nadia Abdullah, a 25-year-old robotics student who in 2019 moved in with the 64-year-old lawyer, Judith. The arrangement of $700 a month plus help around the house has put her just 6-miles from Boston, and 30 minutes from her robotics job in Beverly Mass. Judith and Nadia were matched together thanks to Nesterly, a renting center specifically designed to create intergenerational roommates.
“Through Nesterly, I lived with Sarah while attending Harvard,” writes a young Nesterly reviewer named Kaplan who provided the exact sort of insight into the service one would imagine. “She provided the type of profound knowledge you just can’t Google-showing me how to garden, to cut a fish, and inject French Romanticism into life.”
Biologically-speaking, an arrangement such as Sarah and Kaplan is kind of the natural state of humanity. Scholars believe this is because our intelligence and life experiences, passed down to the next generation, acts as a secondary way to ensure our genetics are passed on; i. e. if you can live long enough to explain to your children and grandchildren exactly which mushrooms they can eat, which snakes are poisonous, how to hunt with a bow and arrow, those offspring will have a better chance of survival.
1. Which summarizes “intergenerational roommates” best?| A．Separated generations’ reunion again. |
| B．Mixed generations sharing houses together. |
| C．International older folks’ gathering. |
| D．Different generations living alone. |
| A．The elderly with houses desire for young guys’ company. |
| B．Isolation is growing sharply among the older folks. |
| C．The average life standard is increasing. |
| D．The college tuition is rising. |
| A．They have a deep understanding of the service. |
| B．They live happily with the elderly free of charge. |
| C．The elderly provide more knowledge than Google does. |
| D．The housing trend actually benefits the young a lot. |
| A．The exact guidance about the living skills. |
| B．The way that intergenerational roommates live. |
| C．The latest study about intergenerational roommates. |
| D．The reason why intergenerational roommates exist. |
1. What did the man use last weekend?
| A．A shared bike. | B．A shared charger. | C．A shared umbrella. |
| A．The proper ways to use the sharing product. |
| B．Her attitude towards the sharing economy. |
| C．The advantages of the sharing economy. |
1. What is the talk mainly about?
| A．Old people’s lives. | B．A supermarket chain. | C．Services for the elderly. |
| A．She lost her phone by accident. |
| B．She was cheated through phone. |
| C．She was unable to make calls. |
| A．True Call. | B．Safeway. | C．Red & Yellow Care. |
| A．Businessmen. | B．Sick people. | C．Senior customers. |
5 . Children seem to care so much about their names. A study shows that most of young people wish their parents had given them a different name.
Some people choose to change their names when they grow up. Many people in show business don’t use the names their parents gave them. Have you ever listened to Joanne? No? The answer could be “yes” if we call her stage name instead! You may never heard of Margaret. But if we tell you her stage name, you might know her as a famous dancer.
In many cultures, there are special ideas about how to choose a name. For example, many people choose a name that has been in their family for many years. It tells the child where he or she comes from.
Choosing a good name isn’t easy. Many parents search books that tell them the meanings of names. They could choose a name that carries a message. For example, Edith means “valuable gift”. Amanda means “love”. And Fara means “joy”.
Names like these tell family and friends how happy they are with their new baby. Other names can say something about the events during the birth of the child. In Africa, a first born son may have the name Mosi and the name Ama means “born on Saturday”.
Is every boy called Curitis polite? And is every girl called Mahira quick and full of energy? No parents can tell what kind of person their child will grow up to be. Just because parents name a boy Fahim, it doesn’t mean he will be clever. All they can do is hope.
1. What can we know about the study?| A．Young kids don’t care about their future. |
| B．Most of young people care about their names. |
| C．Most girls want to change their names. |
| D．Most parents want to rename by themselves. |
| A．To prove some people hope to be renamed. |
| B．To introduce a famous dancer to readers. |
| C．To introduce her true name. |
| D．To tell the benefit of name. |
| A．Kids always want to rename. |
| B．It is hard to change kids’ names. |
| C．Parents aren’t sure if their kids will like the name. |
| D．Parents want to choose a meaningful name. |
| A．Names can never influence our lives | B．Your parents’ wish is behind names |
| C．Love your parents, love your name | D．Methods to choose a suitable name |
6 . Liu Shuqi broke up with her boyfriend two months ago and has now found a new companion.
The handsome “man” is dressed in a white suit with a stylish haircut. He understands her emotions and feelings perfectly and gives her comfort, encouragement and support. “He is very humorous and offers some comfort when I am in a bad mood,” the 26-year-old bank employee said. The only problem is he is a virtual being and not a real boyfriend.
Liu is not alone in her choice of companion. In a digital era where people are heavily reliant on their smart devices, many of those who live alone increasingly turn to the virtual field to seek companions.
The artificial intelligence-powered digital humans, who are similar to real humans in appearance and behavior, are capable of providing 24-hour online companionship, humanlike conversation and emotional support.
They will likely become an essential part of people’s daily lives, industry experts said. Lin Kaikai and Ye Youyou, two companion-oriented virtual beings, were recently launched by Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc. Powered by Baidu’s Plato, an AI model for dialogue generation that is trained on over 10 billion parameters collected from social media conversations in both English and Chinese, the two digital humans have a smooth, more humanlike interaction.
For instance, they can participate in conversations through various forms such as texts, voice and emojis. They offer customized wake-up call services and learn about the preferences of their users, mainly through increased frequency of chats and interactions, Baidu said.
Other tech companies have also jumped on the companion-oriented virtual being trend.
Xiaoice is an AI-powered chatbot that seems to redefine the conceptions of romance and relationships among young Chinese. It has helped to comfort lonely hearts through more than 17 million virtual “girlfriends” and “boyfriends” in China.
“The rise of digital humans that serve as emotional companions is a result of technological innovation, such as the improvement in appearance, functions and interactive experience of digital humans, fueled by the enhanced deep-learning capacities based on massive user data,” said Chen Duan, director of the Digital Economy Integration Innovation Development Center at the Central University of Finance and Economics.
A set of problems though have also emerged. They include ethics, morals, data security and personal privacy protection in the industry, Chen said, while calling for efforts to formulate relevant laws and regulations on the ownership of digital characters and standardizing their behaviors.
1. What is Liu’ new companion like according to Liu Shuqi herself?| A．Handsome and stylish | B．Humorous and helpful |
| C．Perfect and supportive | D．Clever and understanding |
| A．Because virtual companions look very like real humans. |
| B．Because virtual companions can offer a whole-day online companionship. |
| C．Because these people rely on their digital devices heavily. |
| D．Because these people need emotional support very much. |
| A．Texts | B．emojis | C．voice | D．eye-contact |
| A．Making relative rules and laws. | B．Regularize the behaviors of virtual companions. |
| C．Stop producing virtual companions. | D．Both A and B. |
7 . Going against the tide of flocking (蜂拥) to well-known yet generally jam-packed tourist destinations on vacation, a growing number of holidaymakers in China tend to spend their leisure time at lesser known resorts to seek unique, relaxed holiday experiences. Reverse Tourism has emerged as a new trend among young holidaymakers in China.
Besides crowds, some vacationers chose less-traveled places to save on the cost of trips to popular destinations, which often require pricey tickets, meals and hotel stays. “Tourism used to be about sightseeing. Now it is about experiences,” said Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy. He said popular tourist spots are always packed and often raise their prices during holidays. As people become more mature travelers, they are increasingly unwilling to follow the herd. Some of them are simply looking to take a rest somewhere quiet for a couple of days, which is a good way to vacation.
In addition, lesser-known attractions are not as “commercial” and “standardized” as developed ones and are able to offer more genuine experiences and natural encounters, according to social media posts. And unlike popular destinations, some under-explored places with little online exposure can offer more surprises. COVID-19 is another key factor fueling Reverse Tourism. As precautionary measures continue, traveling has an unpredictable quality. A traveler has no way of knowing what lies ahead before departure, be it a perfect holiday or one interrupted by a sudden outbreak.
“The rise of Reverse Tourism is not a bad thing,” said an opinion piece in Zhengzhou Daily. It means that vacationers now have more options, which brings more possibilities to the tourism market, the article explains. More importantly, the trend is set to force popular destinations to improve themselves instead of resting on their achievements, it noted.
1. What is the feature of Reverse Tourism according to the passage?| A．Less-traveled places offer less attractive sightseeing. |
| B．Popular destinations often raise their prices during holidays. |
| C．Popular destinations are not welcomed by people nowadays. |
| D．Less-traveled places are increasingly valued among young holidaymakers. |
| A．Tourists spend less than usual. |
| B．It has already been commercialized |
| C．COVID-19 makes tourists more cautious. |
| D．Tourists can get a better sense of experience. |
| A．To create surprises on their own. | B．To escape the uncertainty in life. |
| C．To promote the local tourism. | D．To explore the original beauty. |
| A．The promising future of Nature tourism. |
| B．The challenges popular tourist spots are facing. |
| C．The reason why people prefer Reverse Tourism. |
| D．The way to explore the lesser-known attractions. |
8 . Good Morning Britain (GMB) launches special “listening benches” in order to solve loneliness. EastEnders star Maisie Smith joined Susanna and Martin in the studio to talk about her involvement in a special part of the 1 Million Minutes campaign — GMB’s special “listening benches” across the country.
Six special “listening benches” have been designed by six celebrities, and can be found in six cities across the UK — and they’re in place to encourage people to strike up a conversation. Maisie joined the show to share why the campaign is important to her.
“I’m always very open about mental health,” Maisie explained. “It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what you have — everyone is going through something and I just think the world would be a kinder place if everyone understood that.”
“I think especially growing up in the limelight (引人注目) as a teenager, you’re very judgemental of yourself when you do see comments of other people judging you. It can add to the stress of the things you re already going through. I think people do think I’m confident because I cover my nerves with a big smile and that’s what I’ve been doing in my whole life.”
Susanna asked Maisie if she had a technique for dealing with her nerves. “It depends on what it is,” said Maisie. “A lot of the time — and it’s going to sound really stupid — but I write a script. I write down all of the questions that I could be asked and try to come up with something so that my brain won’t go blank when I’m under pressure.
1. What is the theme of “listening benches”?| A．Caring for oneself. | B．Changing the world. |
| C．Dealing with loneliness. | D．Protecting the environment. |
| A．To let people know about her life. | B．To share her feelings of the campaign. |
| C．To set up a model for other celebrities. | D．To ask more people to express their mind. |
| A．Protective. | B．Private. |
| C．Serious. | D．Outspoken. |
| A．A programme on mental health. | B．GMB interviewing celebrities. |
| C．Techniques for responding to nerves. | D．Preparations before being interviewed. |
9 . Every family goes through its ups and downs. Most often, the root cause of this situation is the lack of communication.
Lack of patience can be one of the biggest factors. If people are not patient with their parents or children or other members, the levels of closeness will be weakened. And it can be quite difficult for a bad-tempered child, or even a bad-tempered parent to deal with the problems.
Lack of time for family members is always a reason leading to the problems.
Lack of discipline is the worst problem in terms of children.
If the solutions to the problems are OK, all these problems can be easily solved. If lack of patience is one of the problems, obviously the solution is to develop the virtue of patience. You’d better hear out what the children have to say on a certain matter, or even consult them about their significant ideas.
It would be natural to see childish behavior of the younger members of a family but it is up to the elders to control the atmosphere and keep it calm.
The above are some of the most common problems that most families face. So it is important to maintain the best relations with your family, because family is the strongest support system for you.
| A．Everyone has a say in each family meeting |
| B．By doing this, you can avoid a coming quarrel |
| C．A badly behaved child can ruin the peace of a family |
| D．the elder should talk things out instead of keeping silent |
| E．Don’t discuss the family problems when you’re still feeling upset |
| F．With the development of society, all people face fierce challenge and competition |
| G．There are some common factors that lead to communication problems in the family |
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